CISA works with the Department of Human Services across nine counties in central Illinois to screen people with developmental disabilities to determine which assistance programs best fit their needs.

Ask Executive Director Deborah Sheppard how difficult it is to plan a budget when there is no guarantee that the state will fulfill its obligations.

"At the worst, they owed me almost half my budget, which was a million dollars," she said. "We were beginning to sweat things out."

That was in December 2012. Since then, the state has been better about making its payments. Instead of being six and seven months behind, payments to CISA are, on average, about two months late.

Sheppard said the state seems to be better at getting federal money than it was years ago.

"I don't want to sell the state short, either, because they've taken hits as far as cuts, and their manpower is short as far as programs. But you can't keep hitting the people who need our services the most."

'Can't live on that'

Sheppard and Associate Director Mary McGlauchlen said service reimbursement rates are a problem that trickles down to the people they serve.

"For the last several years, our options have been limited to only dealing with the crisis situations," McGlauchlen said. "If they're abused, neglected or homeless, we can probably get them services."

People with developmental disabilities are hurt by budget cuts far beyond the majority of the people supported by state and federal subsidies.

"Their cognitive and physical limitations have prevented them, from childhood, from being able to mature, so they have no means to cope with it. They have no ability to deal with it or even to truly understand what's happening to them. Let alone to vote, or lobby or try and get the services.

"So there's no one in their court to advocate for them except their families and us."

McGlauchlen stressed that the state's reimbursement rates need to be adjusted so care providers can find and keep quality employees.

"There's not a provider that doesn't tell me, 'We can't find people that can pass the background check that want to work for $9 an hour.' It's honestly a very difficult job," she said.

Adds Sheppard: "There are some people who work with providers that hold two and three jobs down just because they love the field and they don't want to give it up, but they can't live on that. If they're a single parent with one or two kids, they can't live on that wage."

Page 2 of 2 - $8.50 an hour

Jennifer Dunham, 37, of Lincoln is living the life Sheppard describes.

The single mother of three works on the direct care staff at Serenity House, a group home for the developmentally disabled. The facility is a small, four-bedroom house tucked away on a residential street in Lincoln, where six residents received constant supervision.

On Dunham's eight-hour shifts, she does the residents' laundry, distributes medication, cooks meals, assists them with bathing and teaches them basic life skills.

Each resident is at a different level of cognitive function, requiring Dunham to take an individualized approach. With residents requiring supervision around-the-clock, it can be a bit of a juggling act.

"It's not always easy," she said, "but there's something about working with them that touches me. They're family to me now."

For all that she does, Dunham is paid $8.50 an hour, which makes it extremely difficult to make ends meet. A lack of higher-paying jobs in the community has left her with few other options.

"I've got a family to take care of, it's just something I have to do. You know, you have to survive. I take everything day by day, but it's hard. It's very hard."

Like most caregivers, a big part of what keeps her going is her love for the residents, but the emotional toll is an added burden.

"A lot of times, I think, 'What about them? Who is going to be there for them?' I worry that people who need this help are being forgotten by lawmakers, that when the state cuts funding, they are the one's who suffer.

"As it is, this system only works because people like me love their jobs and care enough to make sure (those in need) aren't left with no one, even when it means making next to nothing."

Dunham agrees with McGlauchlen and Sheppard that it will take a major shift in public compassion and understanding before those attitudes are reflected in legislation.

"I just wish there were more people who could actually see what we go through, what they go through every day," she said. "They're human beings. I wish more than just a handful of people could see that, but it takes time. We'll get there, hopefully sooner than later."